A common means of transporting bulk material is by the use of truck mounted containers. Such containers are typically metal, rectangular vessels that have a horizontal open top. The containers are positioned on the frame of a truck. One type, called a roll-off can be discharged from the truck by tilting of the frame allowing the container to slide off onto a support surface, such as the surface of the earth. Such containers are open top. In some instances they are filled after being positioned on a truck bed. It has become a government requirement in many jurisdictions that truck mounted containers be covered. This can be done by the truck operator manually spreading a tarp cover over the container open top and fastening it in place around the peripheral edges of the container so that the contents cannot be inadvertently displaced during transportation. Tarping by this manual method involves an operator climbing on top of the filled container which is sometimes 8 feet high when on the ground or 12 feet high when on a truck. The operator must carry the fabric cover or tarpaulin which typically is at least 10 feet wide by typically 25 feet long. The operator must spread the tarpaulin over the top and down the upper four sides of the container. The corners and edges are then fastened in place by the operator. It is easy to see that this manual procedure is dangerous since falls from the container can be extremely serious. Further, manual tarping is time consuming.
When the operator of a container carrying truck reaches the destination where the container or the contents thereof are to be discharged from the truck, the covering or tarp must be removed. Manually removing a covering can also be very time consuming. For these reasons a need exists for an improved, time efficient system for removably covering the open top of truck supported containers.
For background information relating to this subject matter, reference may be had to the following previously issued United States patents.
Pat. No.InventorTitle3,833,255LogueCombined Load Cover and Windshield Protector For Dump Truck3,913,969HochTuck Body Closure4,378,188HardwickCover Assembly For Receptacle Transporting Vehicle4,627,658Vold et al.Power-Assisted Semi-Trailer Truck Body Top Cover5,066,063MullallyRemovable Cover For A Truck Cargo Box5,076,174MartinFlexible Cover For Multiple Compartment Vehicles Having ARigid Movable Frame and Lift Assisting Resilient Straps5,275,459Haddad, Jr.Electrically Insulated Truck Cover Arm5,498,066Cuthbertson et al.Articulated Cover For A Top Loading Hauling Body5,913,561AlcornTop Cover “Tarping” System For Roll-Off Container Trucks6,641,201Pietryga et al.Convertible Bed Cover For A Vehicle6,896,312TalbotVariable Height Covering SystemJapan 356142718AKaneda TomikichiDevice For Automatically Laying Tarpaulin Over Dump Truck